Choices
by nkiing
Summary: Jace Wayland has been drafted to serve his country. While at a bar, he meets Clarissa Fray, where a quick drink turns into an entire evening. As Jace and Clarissa become more than just acquaintances he must find a way to break the news. Takes place during World War II- I apologize in advance for any historical mistakes. T for language, may change. Minor Sizzy & Malec throughout


**Summary/ AN**

 **My boyfriend gave me the prompt for this story, so I hope you think he's as smart as I do.**

 **This story takes place during WWII. I am NOT history buff nor am I even America, so I apologize in advance for any historical or geographical errors I make, but I'll try my best to do my research. Corrections are more than welcome as long as they're given respectfully. :)**

Order To Report For Induction

To:

Jonathan Christopher Herondale

4954 Fancher Drive

Brooklyn, Michigan – 49230

You are hereby ordered for induction into the armed forces of the United States of America.

Please report immediately to the nearest-

Jace slammed the letter onto his old wooden dinner table with his left hand as his right clenched into a fist. His brow furrowed as he squeezed his eyes closed tightly, he tilted his head back and forced out the breath he had been holding since sliding his pocketknife into the corner of the envelope. He was surprised by his small outburst; he had been expecting this letter months ago, so why was he still upset by it?

The war had taken everyone by surprise as the announcement was heard over the radios and on televisions, families crowded around them. Jace remembered hearing it while sitting at his best friend Alec's, dinner table, while playing cards with a cigarette between his lips and a glass of whiskey in front of him. How could he not remember? They'd been celebrating his twenty-second birthday. Isabelle, Alec's younger sister had immediately turned her back to the two men as her eyes burned, knowing it wouldn't be long before Alec and Jace would be summoned to serve over seas. That was almost eighteen months ago though.

Glancing once more at the paper, he stood up to grab his leather jacket hanging by the door and left his small apartment to go for a walk. The warm August evening welcomed Jace, enveloping him like a wet blanket, causing his white t-shirt to stick to his back almost immediately. He sighed heavily before removing his jacket and slinging it over his shoulder, kicking a pebble along the sidewalk until it finally bounced onto the road. It saddened him to see how different the streets were nowadays, missing the once familiar sounds of honking and young men his age calling out to women their age from the beds of their trucks. There were still children playing hopscotch and skipping rope outside their homes, but even that was far and few between now. The war had snatched up so many fathers, so quickly, tearing families apart and taking the innocence from children far too early. _At least I don't have to worry about leaving anyone behind_ Jace thought to himself morbidly before feeling a twinge of guilt as Alec, Isabelle and their fourteen year old brother Max flashed into his mind.

…

"Come on, sweetheart, have a drink on this side of the bar with me? Just one."

Clarrisa Fray sighed, rolling her eyes reflexively as she wiped a shot of Jack Daniels off the bar that had just been knocked over by the ever so chivalrous gentlemen sitting in front of her.

"You know I can't do that, Verlac. Boss would have my head if he knew I was drinkin' while workin'."

The black haired man only grunted once before pushing off from the bar and muttering something about having to piss.

Clarissa only sighed again before lifting his half empty beer bottle and placing a coaster underneath it. Her back to the bar, she began reorganizing her liquor stock the way she liked it, humming to herself softly. With all of the bottles lined up properly she turned around, blowing a strand of her curly red hair out of her face for what felt like the fiftieth time since starting her shift three hours ago. It was then that the front door opened, sending a gush of hot, humid air right at her effectively matting her baby hairs to her already slick forehead. With the sun being almost directly outside the front of the small bar she was unable to make out more than the silhouette of a man entering the establishment. The outline didn't look too familiar so she assumed it wasn't a regular. She stood up slightly taller, plastering her server smile on her face.

"Hey there! Welcome to Jo's bar!" She called out in her cheery voice.

As the stranger approached he sent her a polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Clarissa stared at them a moment, appreciating the golden tone, before he sat down two seats from the abandoned beer sat. She bit her lower lip hesitantly, noticing the man's sullen face.

"What can I get ya?" She asked, trying to get the mans attention. He remained silent as de looked at the line of liquor behind Clarissa, suddenly making her self conscious of the way she organized everything.

"Double rye on ice," he said in a smooth voice before adding, "please."

"He speaks," Clarissa said wryly, "double rye on ice, comin' up. Hungry?"

The young man nodded his head no before smirking and voicing his thanks. Clarissa slid the drink to him, having to go up on her toes to place it within reach. He grabbed the glass with his left hand, Clarissa noting the lack of a wedding band, his right reaching over to grab a coaster. Clarissa bit back a small smile. In one swift gulp, he emptied the drink and gently placed it down on the piece of cardboard. Clarissa raised both her eyebrows.

"Another?"

"Please." She nodded, reaching under the bar for another glass.

"You know, I'm a good listener" Clarissa started slowly, not wanting to be too nosey.

"Yeah? Guess you must be, with a job like this" he chuckled, looking down at his drink. Clarissa decided she liked his laugh.

"Clarissa." She said boldly, going back up onto her toes and outstretching her right hand. He grasped it, his hand completely enveloping her small one. It was warm and slightly damp from the heat.

"Jace." She raised her eyebrows, not a very common name, she thought, but kept to herself. "And thank you, for the offer to listen, but it's really nothing."

Clarissa stared at him a moment, her lips slightly pursed, before shrugging and heading to the opposite end of the bar where another patron had asked for another beer.

When she'd finished exchanging the empty bottle for a full one, Clarissa found herself slightly disappointed when she turned back around to see the man, Jace's eyes cast downward, his eyebrows close together as he frowned. It wasn't that she wanted him to stare at her, or to hear him compliment her, at all. She heard it all the time from drunken customers, yet for some reason, she felt a small lump form in her throat at his lack of attention. Clarissa rolled her eyes at herself, she was never one to want a man's attention, but there was something about this one.

She was about to start up a conversation with Jace, or at least try, when Sebastian stumbled back in reeking of cigarette smoke. She groaned slightly louder than she'd meant to, seeing as she heard Jace chuckle.

"Sweetheart," Sebastian sang, "you saved my beer for me, what a doll. Did you miss me?"

"Didn't notice you'd left," Clarissa said with annoyance heavy in her tone, "and you know that isn't my name."

"Right. Right, right, right. It's… Melissa…Marissa…no! Clarissa! There it is." Sebastian chuckled to himself, "not that it matters, it's mine you're gonna be screaming tonight."

Clarissa bit the insides of her cheeks, her cheeks turning red from anger, there was nothing more she wanted than to let him know exactly where he could go. She opened her mouth before snapping it shut again, remember the ramifications from the last time she had done just that, she absently rubbed her wrist.

"Whatever you say, Sebastian." She replied quickly before busying herself with wiping down any flat surface she could find. She was so caught up with her distraction that she almost didn't hear his retort. Almost.

"That's exactly it, sugar, you'll be doing anything and everything I say." He slurred.

Clarissa raised her head, her entire face a bright red from both anger and embarrassment. Before she could open her mouth to say anything she heard a stool scrape along the floor before toppling over. Turning to where it came from, she watched Jace grab Sebastian's arm and wrench it back behind his back with one hand, while slamming his head against the bar with his other hand. Clarissa grinned as she heard Sebastian let out a howl, only causing Jace to bend his arm back even further and pressing his cheek harder into the wood.

"What the fuck?! Get your hands off me!"

"Apologize," was all Jace said.

"Fuck you! Ah!" His face began to turn purple from the pressure.

"Apologize. Or I break your arm."

"I'm sorry! Fuck I'm sorry!"

"With her name, her real name."

"Jesus Christ man, ow! Okay! I'm sorry, Clarissa."

Clarissa smirked, but said nothing as Jace released his grip on the drunken idiot. Sebastian stood up, rolling his shoulder a couple times while glaring between the red head and the blonde. Sebastian saw the look on her face and growled before guzzling the last of his beer.

He turned abruptly, heading towards the door, he muttered something under his breath, which Clarissa missed but from the look of rage that took over Jace's face, he hadn't.

In two long strides Jace was behind Sebastian, grabbing him by the nape of the neck and turning him around.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Jace asked, his face mere inches from Sebastian's.

"I said I didn't want the slut anyways."

Before Clarissa could even register what he'd said, Jace had already pulled his left hand back and punched Sebastian in the face, whipping his head back and causing blood to spurt from his nose.

A slew of curses came from Sebastian's mouth as Jace dragged him to the front door by the collar of his jacket and shoving him out the door. Heavily, the door slammed shut, cutting of whatever it was that Sebastian had been screaming. Clarissa's hand went to her chest for a moment, realizing her heart was pounding.

Jace walked back to the bar, picking the stool up that he'd knocked over and sat back down. He was quiet a moment, his eyes closed, as he took a moment to calm himself by breathing slowly through his nose. He opened his eyes when he felt a gentle hand rest on his clenched one.

"Thank you," she said quietly, looking up through her thick eyelashes.

"I'm sorry." Jace replied, Clarissa opened her mouth to ask why when he said, "No one should talk to you like that. You don't deserve that."

Clarissa closed her mouth, slightly taken aback by how firmly he'd spoken. She feigned indifference, shrugging her shoulder.

"You don't need to apologize on his behalf, he'll come in in a couple days and apologize, and then he'll get drunk and it'll happen again. And then again and again and…" she spun her pointer finger in a circular motion, rolling her eyes.

Jace clenched his fist again; she squeezed it.

"Hey. It's no big deal, it comes with the job." The slim girl said reassuringly, she looed down at his fist and frowned. "You're bleeding, let me clean you up."

"It's fine, I-" he began to pull his hand away, only for Clarissa to tighten her grip.

"Please? I owe you; let me do it, as a thank you."

She had meant to sound firm but it came out as a question. He sighed, a small smile dancing on his lips. She liked his smile; she decided to commit it to memory, seeing as he struck her as the type to not do it frequently. She nodded her head to the side triumphantly, telling him to come around the bar to the sink.

Clarissa turned on the tap, holding her finger under the stream to make sure it was a good temperature. Jace held his hand out, now standing right next to her; she could feel his chest against her shoulder. As the water ran across his knuckles she hopelessly tried focusing on the task, rubbing soap into his cuts. She could feel his breath tickling her neck.

"There, all better," she said quietly, willing herself to let go of his hand, but she couldn't. And he didn't pull his hand away. He gently squeezed her fingers before letting go, smiling softly when she looked up.

"It feels better already." She gave him a closed mouth smile, examining the small flecks of brown in the outer edge of his iris.

"Hey love birds, hate to interrupt, but my mouths a little dry."

Clarissa and Jace both looked up at the older gentlemen at the end of the bar, her cheeks flushing pink.

Jace cleared his throat. "I'll let you get back to work." He made his way back to the other side of the bar.

Clarissa blew out a breath before opening a fresh bottle of beer, walking down to the man and apologizing. He winked. She shuddered.

She slowly made her way back to her usual spot slowly. She didn't want to come across as clingy or anything, but Jace did sit _right in front_ of her spot. She looked up at him, he was watching her, she reflexively bit her lip.

"Still not hungry? Foods not half bad here."

"I am a little snackish, actually." His smile told her that he wasn't, but he would eat if it made her happy. She reached for a menu from the stack she kept by the till, still looking at him. He shook his head no.

"Order your favourite thing on the menu." He said, still smiling. Clarissa stared at him a moment, trying to decide if he was joking or not. When she realized he was serious she nervously reached for her pad and pen. She bent over to write before pausing to look up, Jace was leaning over the bar, trying to see what she was writing. Her eyebrows furrowed as if she were angry, but her smile said other wise.

"Hey, no peeking," she scolded, "you told me to surprise you."

She scribbled something quickly before walking over to the kitchen window and handing it to the unsanitary looking man.

She walked back over to Jace where they sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"You know," Jace began hesitantly, "I didn't _technically_ ask you to surprise me…I just asked you to order your favourite thing."

Clarissa could feel her face set on fire, all the way to her ears.

"it's okay!" he added quickly, "I like surprises."

Clarissa looked down at the edge of her frayed shirt and began pulling at the threads.

"You're cute when you're flustered."

"I'm not flustered!" She almost yelled before blushing again. She closed her mouth before saying anything else that may make her look stupid. A ding came from the kitchen window, signalling that Jace's food was ready. Blowing out a sigh of relief Clarissa all but ran to get it, thankful for a moment to collect her self.

She placed the dish in front of Jace with a bundle of napkins and a small bucket with ketchup, salt and pepper.

"Fish and chips, gravy, and…"

"Mozzarella." Clarissa finished, grinning with rosy cheeks. Jace raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"You umm...you put the cheese on the fries, and then you put the gravy on top. Then it melts and…yeah."

"So, how come they didn't do that? The cheese on the fries then the gravy on the cheese?"

"I wasn't sure if you'd like it, so, I got them to uh, to do that in case you just wanted fries." Clarissa wrung her fingers, nervously, looking everywhere but at Jace. He watched her for a long moment before dumping the cheese and gravy onto the fries. She smiled, releasing the breath she hadn't known she was smiling.

The rest of Clarissa's shift went by quickly with Jace there, a few bites into his meal he slid the plate closer to her, telling her to have some. They shared the rest of his dinner, chatting easily about Clarissa and her job. Jace learned that the bar was hers; it had belonged to her father, Valentine Morgenstern and that he'd named it Jo's after her mother, Jocelyn. Her parents had passed away two years ago in a car accident and her brother passed away when she was four and he was six, from a bad bout of pneumonia. Jace had gone quiet then, but much to her relief he didn't say he was sorry, or even look at her with pity. She hated when people did that, instead he looked at her as if he understood her.

It was then that he told her that his mother had passed away during labour, and that his father drank himself stupid not long after that, before finally knocking on his neighbour's door and thrusting the small bundle of a boy into Maryse Lightwood's arms saying he had some errands to run.

"Must have had a long list," Jace said, an indifferent look on his face, "never mind that though, the Lightwoods have given me everything they could, they loved me unconditionally as if I was their own."

Clarissa was silent for a long time before reaching over to take his empty plate.

"Well, if you ask me, it's his loss." She turned to bring the plate to the back, forcing herself to look back at Jace, missing the grin that spread across his face.

It was twelve fifteen when Jo's was finally closed for the night. Clarissa locked the door as Jace reached up to pull down the metal door, she smiled up at him as she crouched down to lock it.

"Hey," Clarissa began shyly, "I don't normally do this, but, just cause Sebastian hasn't been that mad or drunk in a long time, do you think you could maybe-"

"Of course," Jace interrupted, grinning. He held out his arm so she could loop hers through it.

"Thanks, I feel kind of stupid asking, I don't even live that far, I mean really-"

"Hey, you could live in Queens and I'd walk you." She blushed, looking down so her thick hair would separate them. She shivered and Jace stopped walking, causing her to look up at him in confusion. Wordlessly he held his jacket out so she could slip her arms through, which she did, gratefully. The jacket went half way down her thighs, he chuckled as her bent down to zip it up.

They continued to walk, mostly in silence besides the odd joke Jace would make.

"Well, this is me," Clarissa said, lifting both arms slightly in the direction of her small apartment. She fumbled in her bag a moment before pulling out her key and unlocking the front door. She opened the door slightly before turning back to face Jace.

"Thank you," she said nervously, "for everything, with Sebastian, and helping me close and walking me home."

"Sebastian's an asshole, those bar stools are far too heavy for someone of your stature to be lifting and… I wasn't quite ready to say bye to you."

Clarissa laughed shyly at the last part, looking away for a moment. She bit her lower lip for a moment. Jace began turning when he felt her reach out to grab his arm. Quickly, so quickly that he hardly had time to react, she stood up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and disappeared behind her door, softly closing. Jace stood outside for a moment, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, smiling. He looked at the ground, chucking to himself and turned around to head home. On the other side of the door Clarissa stood against her door, grinning from ear to ear, touching her lips softly where they were still warm from his cheek.

"Oh Clarissa… what did you just do?"

 **Reviews are muchly appreciated!**

 **Once again, please don't hesitate to correct any historical or geographical mistakes I made/ or may make in the future.**

 **xoxo**

 **-tash.**


End file.
